


The sweetest loss

by mymusicalbox



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Fluff, Happy Pocky Day!, M/M, alternative ending, anime fans only beware, pocky game fic, teeth rotting fluff, there's manga spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 07:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16593137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mymusicalbox/pseuds/mymusicalbox
Summary: Eiji wants to show Ash another Japanese tradition.Or: he just wants an excuse to kiss him.





	The sweetest loss

It had been a year and a half since, suddenly and without previous notice, Ash appeared at his house one day, storming out of nowhere. That day, the blonde spoke to his father and waited patiently until Eiji came home, since he was out for groceries. When Eiji returned, his father just looked at him and said “I’ve finally met A.” with a smile.

 

Ash had mocked him back and forth about him being too in love with him as to always be talking to his family about this “A person”. In fact, Eiji was saving money and was trying to persuade Ibe to return to America, because he could walk again, and his injuries had completely healed so he desperately wanted to see Ash one more time. It was a promise. In his letter, Eiji said they’d meet again. There was an unwritten “Please, don’t die, Ash” but Eiji knew Ash was going to be okay. He always managed to be okay. And he finally had him by his side, with his terrible accent while trying to speak Japanese words -who had to read kids’ magazines to learn the language now, huh?-

 

Anyway, Eiji had been the happiest that day, and his sister had been horribly annoying about how handsome “A” was, but in the end… everything was okay. His family accepted him being in love with a boy, since they told Eiji that for them, the most important thing in the world was Eiji’s happiness, and Ash’s beauty, his charm and his genuine kindness had completely enhanced the Okumura family. Apparently, the day Ash arrived to Japan, he had a long conversation with Eiji’s father about Japanese traditions. Ibe-san told Eiji a few times that when Ash had to set-off to an important mission, he would always tell him to show him pictures of Eiji sometimes, or to let him go to Japan with them because he wanted to know facts about the country Eiji had been born in.

 

Ash and Eiji’s love was palpable,it  had always been there, and it was _even more there_ in the kiss they shared when they reached Eiji’s room. Ash told Eiji that he had been seeing a therapist regularly and was working on trying to get over his past trauma, to which Eiji responded by hugging his boyfriend.

 

Boyfriend. That was a pretty big word that Eiji loved feeling like he could use with Ash.

 

During that year and a half, Eiji made sure to take Ash sightseeing; they went to visit various temples of the area, they event went there for new years and Eiji got the chance to see Ash in a kimono (he look amazing) as well as, in summer, he got the chance to see him in a yukata when they went together to a summer festival. The Japanese loves remembering his boyfriend’s blissful  smile in the festival, he loves remembering his figure under the lights of the fireworks exploiting in the sky, he loves remembering the kiss they shared as one of the mementos of their love.

 

But the thing Eiji loves the most (besides from Ash himself) is having granted him the opportunity to live the life he deserves: a tranquil, normal live without guns, death and traumas. Ash deserves all the happiness in the world, and it makes Eiji feel like the happiest human being on Earth just the thought of him being the one who has granted Aslan Jade Callenreese what he always deserved: the warmth of a happy life.

 

Ash was always eager to go to places, to learn more about Japan and to learn even the smallest traditions. Since he had arrived, he had been studying Japanese at home with Eiji’s father’s help, and his accent as well as his kanji abilities were getting pretty good; Ash was a genius, after all.

 

A year and a half after Ash’s arrival, his hair was now longer and he would tie him up in a messy ponytail, while Eiji kept his short, because it was the look he had when he met Ash, and he felt no need to maintain it. Besides, he preferred short hair. On himself. On Ash, long hair looked _amazing._ He loved clinging to it when they were having hot, steamy make out sessions, and he also loved petting it on lazy afternoons when his boyfriend lay on his lap, just as what was happening that day, the eleventh of November.

 

They were chit-chatting about nothing in particular, when Eiji had an idea and suddenly left his house with an _ittekimasu_ that was answered with a perfectly pronounced _itterashai._ His father asked him if he was going somewhere, his sister asked him where had he left his boyfriend, and his mother just chuckled. He told them that he was going to buy something.   

 

While he was in the supermarket searching for a small pocky box, he thought about the first time he cooked Japanese food for Ash and his reaction about Natto; he’s still not over about his reaction. His little pout was _adorable._ During the year and a half they spent together in Japan, Ash tried a lot of different Japanese food cooked by Eiji’s mother; the blonde liked some of it, while he disliked some of it too, but it was okay. He liked rice cookies and sweet stuff, while he still disliked natto with all his soul.

 

Eiji was wondering if Ash would catch up on the pocky strategy, since he was so smart. But whatever, Eiji just wanted a funny excuse to kiss Ash, and that day was perfect for it, so he was not going to waste it. He chose strawberry flavored, since it was his favorite and he thought Ash could like it, too. When he had picked the box and it was his turn to pay for his purchase, the cashier, a young looking woman, smiled at him.

 

“Are you buying this to play with your girlfriend?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. The whole queue giggled and Eiji became so flustered he couldn’t even answer, so he just gave the money to the sales clerk and ran away from the supermarket.

The sales clerk had hit jackpot if she had changed “girlfriend” for “boyfriend”

 

He returned home after a few minutes, hid the pockys in his pocket and got up on his room.

 

“Hey, Ash, I bought something to teach you a Japanese tradition you don’t know of!” Eiji exclaimed, moving the pocky box in his hands. He was still blushing a little bit because of the whole situation at the supermarket, but whatever.

 

“Oh, what is it this time? Do we need to leave again? I don’t want to go for a walk again, grandpa.” Ash complained eyeing Eiji from the floor.

 

“It’s not this, and I’m not your grandpa.” Eiji countered while grabbing Ash’s arm with his free hand “get up from the floor.” And Ash complied.

 

Eiji sat on his bed and patted the spot on his side for Ash to sit close to him, and he did.

 

“The rules are simple. You grab one end of the stick with your mouth -you can have the strawberry coated one- and I grab the other. We have to bite this until we both reach the middle of the stick. The first one to drop the stick or to bite before arriving to the middle, loses. This is a typical tradition between Japanese couples.” He explained. He was so nervous because had surely caught up on that, but as always he’s seen through Eiji, he just answered with a smirk and a determined “okay”.

 

And then the game started. They started biting the stick, Ash’s jade green eyes staring Eiji’s black ones intently. Eiji knew he was in trouble when he was starting to get even more nervous because Ash’s mouth was getting closer… and closer…

 

And Eiji broke the stick. It was over.

 

“I lose.” He said, staring at the floor. “You’ve won”, he muttered, now staring at Ash.

 

But Ash said nothing; he just grabbed a handful of Eiji’s hair and crashed their lips together in a sloppy, short kiss.

 

“Now I’ve won”. He said against Eiji’s lips.

 

“If you to kiss me, you could have said so” The blonde added. Eiji knew it would come to this, but he hadn’t known Ash for years to back down now.

 

“We still have the rest of the box, do you want to keep playing? I’ll show you who will win now!” Eiji whispered huskily against his boyfriend’s lips, they haven’t pulled an inch apart from each other, and it was okay, since they didn’t need to. They didn’t want too.

 

“Sure, but I want to do this first”

 

And then they shared a few open mouthed kisses which ended in another hot make out season, the pocky box forgotten on the ground.

 

Tasting strawberry in Ash’s mouth, Eiji considered this loss to be the sweetest one he had experienced in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm here again! I didn't plan to write anything, but today's pocky day and I wanted to write happy Asheiji in Japan playing this hehe. Also I’m sorry if I stick my head too much in this tag... I love this ship, I’m in love with their love and their my motivation to write again, so I hope not to annoy yo ;;
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I liked writing it <3
> 
> comments and kudos are much appreciated!


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